Report Censorship

CBLDF is committed to supporting the comics community. Fill out our form to request assistance or report censorship today!

Report Censorship

CBLDF is committed to supporting the comics community. Fill out our form to request assistance or report censorship today!

HeroesCon Sponsors CBLDF’s Fall Comics Grab Bag!

HeroesCon (www.heroesonline.com) is seeking to raise $10,000 for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund by sponsoring its Fall Comics Grab Bag! Debuting this weekend at New York Comic-Con, the CBLDF Fall Comics Grab Bag includes 10 comics for a $20 donation, with rare and signed comics guaranteed in every bag!

HeroesCon has contributed a vast array of rare comics from the silver, bronze, and modern age to support the Fund. Comics guaranteed to be included in the Fall Comics Grab Bag include Avengers #57 (1st Appearance of the Vision), X-Men #46, X-Men #48, Batman #185, Luke Cage #1, Nick Fury: Agent of Shield #3, Sub-Mariner #5, and dozens more. Signed comics were contributed directly from their artists, including Amanda Conner, Garth Ennis, Neil Gaiman, Jim Lee, Frank Miller, Jill Thompson, Gail Simone, and many more! Keep reading…

Kick Off NYCC with CBLDF, IDW, and Dark Horse!


WHO: Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, IDW Publishing, and Dark Horse Publishing

WHAT: CBLDF NYCC Kick-Off Party!

WHEN: Thursday, October 13
7:00 p.m.: VIP Hour

Join quest VIPs Cliff Chiang (Wonder Woman), Chris Roberson (I, Zombie), Andy MacDonald (Terminator), Fred Van Lente (Amazing Spider-Man), and more! CBLDF members who joined at the Defender level ($250) or higher are invited to join us for VIP hour!

8:00 p.m.: Open party!
Start your convention weekend with talented creators from across the comics world and fellow CBLDF members! While supplies last, there will be a gift bag at the door featuring Liberty Trading Cards, CBLDF Liberty Annual 2011, and more! Free to members, $10 suggested donation for non-members.

WHERE: Hudson Terrace, 621 West 46th Street, New York, NY 10026; (212)-315-9400; www.hudsonterracenyc.com

WHY: Start NYCC right by defending Free Speech with CBLDF!

Unite Against Censorship with CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2011, Out This Week!

CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2011 is out on Wednesday, and retailers around the country are sponsoring signings with some of the creators who contributed to the best issue of the ANNUAL yet! Here are the events taking place during UNITED AGAINST CENSORSHIP:

Forbidden Planet NYC
October 12, 6:30 p.m.
840 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
(212) 473-1576, www.fpnyc.com
with Thomas Chu, Kevin Sacco, Brandon Montclare, Michael Bramley, J. Gonzo, and more

Laughing Ogre Comics
October 12, 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.
4258 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43214
(614) 267-6473, www.laughingogrecomics.com
with Dara Naraghi

Another Dimension
October 12, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
424 B – 10th Street NW; Calgary, AB T2N 1V9, Canada
(403) 283-7078
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Another-Dimension-Comics/180997045270673
with Riley Rossmo

Infinite Monkey Comics & Games
October 13, 7:00 p.m.
65 East College Street, Suite 1, Oberlin, OH 44074
(440) 775-4263, www.infinitemonkeyonline.com
with Kazim Ali

Even if you can’t attend one of these amazing signings, you can be part of the fun by picking up a copy of CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2011 from your favorite local comic shop! The sales of CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2011 benefit CBLDF’s First Amendment legal work, including our Canada Customs Case.

CBLDF will also have signings at booth #1158 during New York Comic-Con, October 13-16! We’ll post details later this week, but rest assured we’ll have a spectacular assortment of signed exclusives!

CBLDF urgently needs to raise $100,000 for our important First Amendment work by the end of October! Be Counted and support CBLDF’s First Amendment legal work by bidding on original artwork, making a donation, or becoming a member of the CBLDF!

Voicing an Opinion: Manga Bookshelf’s Melinda Beasi Talks Canada Customs Case

When I was in junior high, my English class was assigned to read George Orwell’s 1984. It was a pretty engaging read, but despite our teacher’s best efforts, it was difficult for most of us to take its deeper messages seriously. Big Brother and the Thought Police were terrifying for sure, but no more so than the likes of Jason Voorhees or Freddy Krueger. They were fantasy villains from our point of view, impossibly removed from our real lives, where we were forced into daily battle with the true horrors of Midwest adolescence — teenage classism, 80s fashion, and our own deep self-loathing.

Now, as a 40-something in the 21st century, Orwell’s warnings are both utterly preposterous and terrifyingly real. It seems outrageous to imagine that in an age when civil liberty is so loudly trumpeted and treasured that a person could be arrested, imprisoned, and legally stigmatized for life because of his or her thoughts. Yet cases such as that of Brandon X prove this to be not only possible — but even likely — if those thoughts are being expressed and shared with others in the form of comics. more…

Charles Brownstein Talks Comics Code Authority Seal

Last week, CBLDF announced it had acquired the rights to the Comics Code Authority Seal, marking the end of the censorship the seal once represented. After the announcement, CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein spoke with Vaneta Rogers at Newsarama about the acquisition.

Several reports mistakenly indicated that CBLDF purchased the rights to the seal, a misconception Brownstein cleared up when Rogers asked him about the acquisition:

“As the Comic Magazine Association of America, was winding down they approached us to inquire whether we would be interested in receiving the Seal of Approval,” Brownstein told Newsarama. “Through a brief, and fairly straightforward process, they assigned us the rights to the Seal for use as part of our fundraising and education program. It was a donation from the industry’s dying self-censorship body to assist its mature First Amendment defense body.”

Keep reading…

Be Counted and support CBLDF’s First Amendment legal work by bidding on original artwork, making a donation, or becoming a member of the CBLDF!

Frank Miller, Karen Berger & Babymouse Champion Free Speech In Be Counted Week 3


The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund continues its Be Counted membership drive this week, with generous incentives from legendary cartoonist Frank Miller, groundbreaking editor Karen Berger, and the unstoppable team behind Babymouse & Squish – three time Newbery Award honoree Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm!

The CBLDF needs to raise $100,000 by October 31 to pay for its urgent legal and education to work. To date, the organization has raised over $30,000 of that goal. Be Counted and becoming a member of the Fund today. Membership contributions are tax deductible and start at $25 per year. Those who can afford to join at higher levels can take advantage of some of the amazing opportunities available in this campaign. To view all of the Be Counted incentives, featuring opportunities to go backstage at Saturday Night Live, have tea with Neil Gaiman or get your work reviewed by Tom Brevoort or Dan DiDio, among many others, please visit www.cbldf.org.


Read on
to see all of this week’s incredible offerings!